Lawrence holms



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MFEIERS, PHoTmUTHOGRAFHER. WASHHIGTON, D C.

To ALL wHoM'Ir MAY GONGERN;

LAWRENGE noLMs,4 on ramassent, Naw JERSEY.

Letters Patent No. 78,524, dated June 2, 1868.

n'riraovisitnur in FILTERS.

-tlge tigehxtle maar tain itin ttcts @what init uniting @nrt m tige same.

Be it known thatnI, LAwnENen HOLMs, of Paterson, in the county ot" Passaic, in the State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new. and uset'ul Improvements in Water-Filters; and I do lhereby declare that the following is a full and exact description ot' the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawingmmaking part of this specification, and to the letters and gurcs of reference marked thereon.

Figure I is a plan or horizontal outside view of the apparatus entire.

Figure II is a horizontal section of the interior, taken onthe line 1. I

Figure III is a Avertical end view of the outside, showing, in elevation, the c-ompactiug-screws, the safety-` valves, the nozzlehfor the discharge of pure water, and the cock, for discharging such unlteredwater as may remain, after washing, in the purefwaterichambers, all to be further hereinafterdescribed. v

FigureIV is an interior'vertical section, taken on the line 2. In this elevation, the cross-section of the filtering-beds, in purple,vtogether with their supporting gratin-gsand wire-gauze enclosures, i's shown.

Figure V is an outside longitudinal elevatiomshowiug the several nozzles of ingress and egress; also the compaeting-screws and safetywalves, to be`furthcr hereinafter described.

Figure VI is a horizontal section,taken on the line 3,showing the framework of the upper portion of the casing; also the platens or followers, which',vin connection with `the screws D, are used for compacting the medium of the ltering-beds, to be further hereinafter described. I

Figure VII is an interior vertical section, taken on the lined.v -In`this elevation the general form of the casing is shown; also the supplementary bottom, covering the passages ede fj'also the pressing-platen and screws; also the grating for supporting the wire gauze and medium are shown, all to be further hereinafter described. i Y I' Figures VIII, IX, and X are details of 'the valves, inlets, and outlets for regulating and controlling the' ventrance and. discharge of the water.

Figures XI, XII, AXIII are details, full size, of the gratings for supporting the wiregauze aud filteringmedium, to be further hereinafter'described.'

.The Figs. I to VI are on Plate I, and theFigs.'VII to XIII are on Plate II,'Alike letters and figures denominating like parts in all the drawings. l

I construct a strong rectangular water-tight case or vessel, ot' a size proportioned to the volume of water desired to be 'ltered. This vessel, marked A,\'may beconstructed ofreither iron or wood, or ot" any other suitable material, and must be`capable ofsustaining considerable internal `as well as external pressure. The internal pressure is communicated by the amount of head or, altitudmof.' supply of water, if the tiltration is effectue-ted by the force of gravitation, or bythe force-pump,if.that is the-method adopted for pressing the-water through the filteringmedium. lThe external pressure is exerted in eertaiminstanees'by thepressur'e oi' the atmosphere,

u-vaeuum being formed in certain chambers 'for effectuait/ing au object to be further-hereinafterdescribed.

p `In the case A there is a supplementary bottom, B, which covers four passages o1` pipes, c d e f, seen in dotted lines in Fig. II, and alsoi section in Figs. I-V and VII. This bottom, B, isdivided into ninenearly equal-sized spaces, four of which are occupied by the tilterLheds, whose lower edges rest and are secured thereon.

The intervening spaces I denominate water-chambers or spaces. These are pierced through Bby ten rectangular'openings, a (t a a a,b b b which form ports of communication' with 'the four passages c d c j, forthe purpose of conducting the water to .and from the diii'ere'nt sides of the ilter-beds.

, The openings a a and water-spaces z'z' receive the water from the general inlet'by the opening of the valve Grand the passage 2,whence`it is forced through the several'ltering-beds into the Awater-chambers c 7c and thence discharged through the openings a a a into the passage f, and so out by the valve H and the pure'4 water. nozzle, plainly'marked in the drawings. The other openings, I) b b b 1)', are for the purpose .of receiving water for washing the filtering-beds, and for discharging the same lhy the openings and passages appropriate thereto. These openings and passagesare .similar in every respect to those 4above described and used for IiItering" purposes, except thatthey communicate,v for the did'erent objects of ingress and egress, with the opposite sides' of the filtering-beds, the passage oonveyingwnten under pressure, through the openings 6 b btinto the. waterv Y Y i chambersfc 7c 7c, and thence through the ilteringbeds inthe opposite direction, .to which the previous'iiltratoil had teh-en place, and 'so out to the wash-water nozzle' of dischurgeby the openings Zi b", passage e, an'd portlet' valve H, opened for the purpose. In' thus reversing the direction ofthe currents, any sediment, {iltln'or foreign -matters which may beA lodged on the surfaces of thefiiltering-beds, the residuum of the filtered water, beeonie forced back from the wire gauze and gratings, and are washed out of the.waterc','hnn1bers 7c c le', through the -wash-water outlet, us'previously stated. v A l u v v The course of the washing-water is indiboited on the drawings by the red'nrrowsythat of thewater .to be 1 filtered by .the blue arrows. It is evident, however, that the. openings and discharges used for the cleansing of' the filtering-beds ina'y beY usedfor iil-tering purposes, und the pure water discharged':by the `v fash-w'atei; nozzlel' I'therefore d'o not lconiin'e myself tothepurticular method described, when u more inversion of the functions of .the'severa'l'parts may accomplish thejsame objects. i I' f Each ilteringbed isrepresented inpurple color on the drawings, und consists cftwostrongly-constructed reticulated gratings, lined with tine wire gauze, y, between which thoiltcringmedium is compressed. Those ,.Qgratings Aare strongly 'secured to the sides, bottom, and upper framewojrk'of the casing, in sueha Away that noi water can pass from' one compartment to another, unlessL through the iltering-mediur'n enclosed' between .each The'gratings' are constructed in such a manner'as toinsure great strength,'au d ut thcsametime to present aslittlc surface of obstructior to the passage of the water through the wiroguuze.and ilteringmedium h us is consistent with a perfect support of thewire gauze and ltering-n1edium` Those gratingsmcrked m, FigsfII, IV, end VII, are also represented in v'detailv and se ction,ti`ill size, on Plate II, Figs. XI, XII, XIII, and consist ofbars of iron one-eighth-ot' an inch thickA by one'inoh deep,- notched ,in such a -way as Ato interlock-each other, when put together, in .a reticulated grating or diaphragin', with aat surface for the'supportof the wire gauze 'and lteringltnedium, as before stated,`-*Y`I'u lso' further strengthen those gratings by coating them with zinc or tin, aftertheyhre constructedff Thehotinetal enters all the inten sticos of 4the reticulationsfmd theljoin'ts or points of union, and'thu's so'iders ytheentir'ezreticulutiorrs into one solid-framework. Corrosion visalso prevented by this protection of the snuiffces. 'I dov not, however, limit myself to this modeof constructidyo dong as the same objects may iie'fttdinedby any device equivalent thereto. The gratings' being-securodtthe sdesand bottom ot' theca'se A, the' upper edges are fastened to the. beams C C C. C C, or their equivalents, the spaces betweenfwhch bemns constitute auxiliary' chambers' 'or'fcoir#` taining an extr'a supply/of mediummaterinl, `which may :xt any time be foreeddownwurds by means of -the screws-D andplatens D. Intthis waythe'mediuma, between-iih'cwire gauze, can be, at any time, compacted to any degree of density neoessary for the 'ltratiorrof the water passing through..A Bythis mo'de'f-compression. any interstioes which may have resulted fromthe percolation o'fo-thc water throughthe medum,.or from any othercause, will become closed, and a. uniforni thickness and density maintained, unattainable by any other m13ans lhitherto know-n. l v A i i v A l v .The arrangement land construction of the valves for controlling and'directing the water-ourrents`,fare clearly shown in the several Figs.`I, II, III, vIV, VII, IX, and X. The valresf'consistgoftwo plates', Grand H, on tho upper edge of nach of which is formed crack, into whicha pinion wforhsign:gear.l Thesc-pihins-u-re` sunk into appropriate recesses in the valve-casing, and are secured upon shafts, which extend outwardly through propel'` bearings, and have hand-wheels keyed on their outer ends, for conveniently operuting'the valves; Each of these valvesl covers two of thepassageslc d e ]",oitheroie whiclrcan-be opened, or all "of which can4 Thevalves are facedonboth sides, and'thus form, when combiuedwth andoperatingin.their'chanibers, as shown, water-tight gates for the closing or controlling-of the water-passages, both as toinward and outward pressure;

The computing-screws D, eight in number, work through appropriate'nuts,'E,which arefsecured above, and together with the caps-'pieces or .covers F F F F. The lower lends of these screws are swiveIIed, and turn freely in the platens 'or followersD( D D D, `which they raise or lforce down, when' turned to the rightpr left,

f by mcans'of the caps'taniheads, seen'in'the drawings. l

I employ two safety-valves, I K, situated on-and above thojcase A. These c omnunicate respectively-with I the waterecha'mbers z' i and the water-chambers 7e 7c c, and are-.for the purposelof relieving the'ease of any excess vof pressurearisi'ng from-any cause.' l*They are' also .usedfor withdrawing any accumulation of atmospheric airl from the'upper portion of-the waterchan1bers, which mayfrom time to time be carried in`by the currents of water, or from any other cause. Those safetyvalves are also used, incoxmeotion with the valves Gr and H, for v creating a vacuum in the waterehuniber s,'fr the purpose of more efi'cotually insuringa. ow o f water of such volume ns may b edue to the aren of the ,ilt erbeds',the altitudeof'pressure, and the orifices of supply. The' safety-valves are of the ordinary construction', such .as nre used on steam-boilers, .and therefore need not-here. be-further described. The connections are made with thowater-spa'ces by means of pipes; whichpenetrate and are Secured in the beams CIO C. C C.;

. The upright pipesor connections 'of the sai`ety-valve Ipenetra'te thc chambers t-Iclc, alL-ofwhich are-regu.. Hlated. by the same valve, by means of the elbows ,'T- pieces, and'other approprialt'epart's.

The-valve K'is connected with thewuterechambers' also bymeans of vertical and horiaontal' pipes, elbows, and T-pieces,ppropriatethreto al? clearly seenl in thedrawing's. 'lh'e tw several valves comrnuni- .cote respectively with the opposite fsideso 'he Viltering'gbeds,-and byenterni` e sf C by the holes I I I and K K, seen` in Fig. VI v l l 4 The cap-piece L, wlmi/ch is-Tiir @e may atanytiinebg remved, and"'such-` 1' water-passages, or gates may be'placed in the cap-piece for the discharge, from time to time, ot' such accu; mulation-sl Y l Y p The cock M, secured in the cap-piece L, is'for the purpose of drawing off such residuum as may remain in the pure-'water chamber 7c 7c Ic, after the operation of washinghas taken place, and previously to opening the pure-water outlet. 4

The operation of the filter, and the use of the several parts described, are as follows: p

The general inlet-nozzle of the valve-chambers being connected by proper pipes with the source of supply,

@which may be either a reservoir, dam, or pump, and the valve G opened so as to throwY the current of water into the passage al, the Water will then ascend through the openings ala, and -lill the chambers Previously to this, however, it will be necessary to raise the lever of the safety-valve K, for the purpose' of allowing -sueh air to escape asmay have been previously present in the chambers. This Avalve is now closed and weighted` according tothe-pressure the {ilter is intended to be worked under. The other safety-valve, I, must now be opened, and the air yin the opposite chambers, 7c 7c 7c, allowed to escape before the water, which will now percolate through the densexnasses 'of the filtering-medium. The valve G may now be slightly closed, and the valve H opened tothe extent of the port j', when, by the discharge ofthe water from the chambers t' lek, a partial vacuum will be created therein, and a continuousiloiv of water through the ltering-beds insured. By a reversion of the valves G and H, the pressure of the water will be admitted by the passage C, through Vthe openings yb 51, to the chambers c 7c le, and thus the Water will be forced through the `rilterinfgheds in an opposite direction to that described in the filtering process, and thus force back any accumulations of foreign matters whichv may have been deposited on the wire ganze, gratings,'or in the chambers z' z', which are thence discharged by the passage d and wash-water nozzle, so marked in the drawings` The safety-valve I may bc manipulated, in connection with the inlet and outlet-valves G and H, in the same manner as described for'the filtering process, and a partial vecu-um obtained in the chambers z' i, which will serve to facilitate the cleansingv operation of the iilteringbeds and water-spaces.

I claim as my invention-- The arrangement of the valves Gr H, passages c d ef, openings'a b a b', Water-spaces z' k, andlt'cringybeds m as and. for the purpose described. Y

` LAWRENCE HOLMS.A

' Witnesses:

MAXTON Home, EDwAnD'O. MAY, Jr. 

